A Quick Recap of the SSQQ 2010 Oslo Cruise

Written by Rick Archer
June 2010

Everyone assumes that Rick and Marla have seen it all.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  On these destination cruises, every place we go is completely new to us.   Think about it... that's why Marla chooses these places - she wants to see them herself!

In 2008, Marla took our group to the Eastern Mediterranean.  In 2009, we visited the Western Mediterranean.  So for 2010, Marla decided it was time to go see Northern Europe.  Marla noticed this amazing trip that left out of Oslo, Norway, and made a circle around England.... without actually stopping in England  (Marla promised me we would return to England another day).

Our first port of call took us to Paris, the fabulous City of Lights.  Since this was the first time Marla and Rick had ever been to Paris, neither of us was quite prepared for the overall magnificence of this legendary city.   The Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Seine River, the Grand Palace, the Tuilleries Gardens, the Louvre Museum, the Arc de Triomphe, and so many other famous landmarks were all within easy walking distance.  So we spent the afternoon gazing at all the statues, landmarks and beauty of this great city.  Besides its obvious natural beauty, Paris exudes wealth and sophistication. In every direction we looked, there was something magnificent to go inspect. Yes, seeing was great, but oh so superficial.  This was Paris on fast-forward.  We wanted to hit the Pause button and slow down time.  No such luck.  As usual, too much to see, not enough time.  Definitely a return trip is called for!

Our second stop was at Cherbourg, a deep-water port that was vital to the Allies in World War II as the place to begin the invasion of Europe on the way to Berlin.  Unfortunately, Cherbourg was too well-defended by the Nazis, so the Allies landed instead on the nearby beaches of Normandy about 30 miles away.  We took a bus that stopped first at Omaha Beach, the location of the fiercest fighting on D-Day.  Here we visited the cemetery and saw moving video clips of D-Day at a museum on the site.  Rick can only speak for himself, but the tears flowed non-stop at all the evidence of great bravery and great sacrifice. 

Later we visited Sainte-Mère-Église, a nearby town that played a big role in D-Day.  The town's main claim to fame is that it played a significant part in the World War II Normandy landings.  This village stood right in the middle of route N13, a major road which the Germans would have most likely used on any significant counterattack on the troops landing on Utah and Omaha Beaches.  That counterattack could not be allowed to happen.  So in the early morning of D-Day, 6 June 1944, huge numbers of paratroopers occupied the town, encountering stiff resistance in the process. 

By chance, the town had been the target of an aerial attack earlier in the evening. A stray incendiary bomb had set fire to a house east of the town square.  The church bell was rung to alert the town of the emergency and townspeople turned out in large numbers to form a bucket brigade supervised by members of the German garrison. Now at 1 am, the town square was well-lit and filled with German soldiers and villagers trying to put out the fire just as two battalions were dropped in error directly over the village.  The Nazis were astonished to see thousands of men descending upon them in the middle of the night.

Unfortunately, this made the paratroopers easy targets.  Many men died before they even hit the ground.  One wounded paratrooper had the bad luck-good luck misfortune of getting his parachute caught on the steeple of the village church in Ste-Mère-Église.  This left him hanging helplessly from its roof-top forced to witness the carnage.  Meanwhile, the wounded paratrooper hung there limply for two hours, pretending to be dead.  This saved his life.  

We all marveled at this story as we snapped photographs of the church where it happened.  Today there is a parachute attached to a life-size dummy dressed in paratroop attire hanging permanently from the same church steeple in the local square.  This hanging paratrooper memorial was quite effective. It served as a vivid reminder to us all that many men died on D-Day in this very spot making Ste-Mère-Église one of the first French towns to be liberated.

Upon the return to the trip, the mood of our group was somber.  This had been a very moving day for many of us.  That night at dinner, we could not stop talking about our experiences this day and what they meant to us.  Personally, I am glad I had my group of friends to share my thoughts with.  Otherwise it would have taken me a long time to snap out of my sadness. 

After a day at sea, our third stop was in lovely Dublin, Ireland.  Our group went every which way possible, some to see the Guinness brewery, some to see the old churches.  Marla and Rick wanted to see the Irish countryside, but first we got a look at Dublin.  It was amusing to see all the brightly colored doors.  Dublin is full of old row houses that look identical.  The only thing that allows you tell them apart are the different door colors.  Our tour guide said this was an important feature.  After a long evening in the local pubs, the wives wanted to be sure their husbands could find the right door to stumble into.

After Dublin, our bus trip took us through Wild Wicklow.  What a perfect description.  The countryside is far from tame. We definitely got what we wanted.... vast green pastures lined with yellow-flowered gorse hedges, rolling hills, deep crevasses, large mountains in the distance, and forests.  Ireland is famous for its lush, green countryside.  It's all true.  This trip definitely delivered as promised.  Such magnificent scenery!  Plus we got to see an ancient cathedral and we even had time to take a long nature walk in the nearby forest complete with lake, swans, and bleating sheep.  

As we departed the monastery, Wendy Weston screamed in dismay.  She had left her wallet back at the retreat.   Or had she?  Robert Goins hopped up to help her with the search.  The entire group got on their hands and knees to see if the wallet had fallen on the floor.  Nope.  It was nowhere in sight. 

Only half the people on our bus were with the SSQQ group.  I expected the other half would conclude this was Wendy's problem and tough luck, but to my delight, they all agreed to turn the bus around and head back even though this would delay our trip at least 20 minutes.  Good for them!  

Amazingly, just as the bus began to turn around, something in the way the bus turned revealed to Wendy that her wallet was stuck in the seat next to the wall.  Aha!  We didn't have to turn around after all.  We all cheered. 

As the perfect conclusion to a perfect day, we stopped at O'Neills Pub back in Dublin for a deeply satisfying pint of Guinness beer.  If Wendy hadn't found her wallet, this exquisite moment might have been lost. 

What amazing luck!

No, I lie, all of my forefathers were from Switzerland, you know, William Tell, Bill Archer, etc.  Bill eyes me with suspicion, but finally agrees to accept me as his partner even though he is convinced he will never win with me. 

Nevertheless we triumph.  The losing streak is over.  Bill can hold his head high again.  Life is no longer grim.  Now Bill is able to finally appreciate the beauty of the British Isles as his homeland calls to him.

Our next stop was at Edinburgh, Scotland.  I discover Bill was right about one thing - the Scots do not like the English.  Our tour guide spends half the bus trip talking about all the rotten things the English did to the Scottish.  I softly whisper to Marla that for the rest of the day, I am Swiss.

What a lovely city!  Highlights of the day including a visit to the imposing Edinburgh Castle complete with more history lessons on all the evil things England did to Scotland.  We concluded our morning with a leisurely walk through the lovely garden park below.  When Marla spots an ice cream stand nearby, she makes a beeline.  Soon Marla is moaning with pleasure.  This is the BEST ice cream cone ever.